Legend of the Slenderthayne: Book 1: Shadows of Death
by SukiMikora
Summary: Reaper is a young Slenderthayne kit, destined for a life of hardships.. as with every cat in the Slenderthayne. The Slenderthayne are a Cklan of cruel, vile cats, killing at any chance they get. They are commanded by their high lord, and trained to battling perfection. Many cats die within their first moon of training. Will Reaper survive, or will she fall?


LEGENDS OF THE SLENDERTHAYNE  
**Book 1  
**_Shadows of Death_

* * *

ALLEGIANCES  
-

HIGH LORD: Ashire

LORDS: Darkmist

Deathfoot

Cloudeye

Crow

OSHAK(Next in line): Riptide

HEALERS: Swift

Leaf

Fang

THAYNES(Fighters): Bloodspill

Deathheart

Wolfeye

Scarface

Ratclaw

Abyss

APPRENTICES: Red

Mint

JOHCS(Assasins): Blackclaw

Nightshade

Deathreap

SLAXES: Mouse

Natzi(Former kittypet)

QUEENS: Windsage

Sagewhisker- Mother of Reaper and Dawn

KITS: Reaper

Dawn

Bracken

Spider

Venom

Snake

Fox

Slash

Eveflame

Prince

Mackenzie

Poison

Oshi

Jain

ELDERS: Blindeye

Cloudspots

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

It was time. Yowls echoed through the cave walls, as dark pelts shifted towards a large platform. On top of the platform, a large, dark gray she-cat sat, eyes blazing. Her claws were reinforced with steel, and one look at those claws could send any cat running. Gathered below this she-cat were many others, all waiting in anticipation.

"It is time."

The cat's deep, booming voice bounced off the cave walls. Cats parted, to reveal two small kits huddled together. The High Lord's eyes studied the kits, making them shake in slight fear.

"Bloodspill, Deathheart... take them to The Black Pit," she commanded in her authorative voice. Two male cats stepped forward and, dipping their heads to their High Lord, gripped the kits by the scruff. As he carried them away, a chorus of yowls rang out.

For the two kits, this was the moment they had dreaded. As the two Thaynes stepped up to a huge black pit and dropped the kits in, life was hell.

"Seal the door," the leader commanded. The two Thaynes nodded, closing a huge circle of metal over the top of the Black Pit.

When the small russet kit hit the chasm floor, it felt as if all of her bones had broken. Her sister was beside her, shaking uncontrollably.

"Reaper... why is the High Lord so cruel?" the small black kit mewled. Reaper, her russet sister, didn't know how to reply.

"I don't know, Dawn..." she mewed. "I don't know..."

When she heard a pawstep behind her, Reaper nearly jumped out of her fur. Behind her was another kit, all skin and bones. His face was scarred, and he looks as if the only food he could get was crowfood.

"You better watch out around here," he hissed. "There are cats that'd eat new kits like you."

Reaper growled, hackles raising.

"We can take on any challenger!" she spat. "I'm not gonna just rot here!"

The tom kit just growled and limped away. Reaper couldn't believe how emaciated he looked. Was food really that scarce? She sighed and stalked forward, Dawn slowly moving behind her.

"Reaper.. I don't like this place..." Dawn mewled. "It's dark and scary..."

Reaper sighed and turned her head towards her sister.

"I don't like it either... but we'll have to survive it," she sighed. The two kits continued exploring the dark pit, jumping at every sound.

"Reaper... I'm scared..." Dawn whimpered.

"Calm down, Dawn... it'll be fine.." Reaper hissed. She looked around, tail held high in the air. She then noticed a disgusting scent, and looked to see...

The rotting carcass of a dead kit.

Reaper leaped back, fur bristling. Dawn just stared at it, frozen in pure horror.

"He's dead!" she squeaked. "H-How?"

Reaper felt a low growl in her throat.

"This place means death, Dawn," she hissed. "Only the toughest survive. And right here is your evidence, clear as day."

Dawn shivered with fear and slowly backed away from the carcass, before turning and darting away. Reaper followed.

Soon, the two kits huddled together underneath an overhanging rock. Both were anxious, and scared.

"We're gonna die, Reaper!" Dawn wailed. "I don't want to die!"

Reaper sighed and laid her tail over her sister's shoulders.

"Don't worry..." she mewed. "We'll survive. I won't let us just die..."

Dawn continued shaking.

"I hate this place..." she whimpered. Just at that moment, Reaper caught sight of three other kits stalking through the shadows. Reaper recognized the first cat they met, along with a black she-kit and an reddish tom. They were heading towards the dead kit, Reaper realized with shock. She suddenly curled her lip in disgust as the kits bent down and began to _eat_ the corpse.

Dawn whimpered and pressed against Reaper. "They... They're eating him..." she mewled.

Reaper growled and slinked over to the others.

"How could you do something that...disgusting?!" she hissed. The others looked at her with almost... zombielike eyes.

"If you were starved... you would do the same..." the brown kit croaked. Reaper wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"No way!" she spat, turning and darting back over to the rock overhang. She then curled up beside Dawn, burying her face in her sister's fur, with Dawn doing the same.

When the next day arrived, Reaper slowly stood, blinking through the darkness. Beside her, Dawn shivered, ruffling her fur.

"Reaper, it's cold," she complained. Reaper shot her a glance.

"Don't worry, Dawn.." she mewed. "Things will be fine."

At that minute, Reaper caught sight of one of the kits before. The reddish one. He sat still, staring down at the carcass of the half-eaten kit, mumbling something to himself. She stood and slowly took a few steps over to him, and he slowly turned his head, eyes filled with hidden sadness and bloodshot. Reaper took a step back. He looked so... haunted.

"What is wrong with these kits...?" Reaper mewed to herself. Unfortunately, the other kit heard.

"We have been here for almost a moon," he croaked. "We are fed nothing but gruel, and the dead bodies of other kits. Half of us have already starved to death."

Reaper's eyes widened in horror. "If-If you don't mind me asking.. what exactly is 'gruel'?" she asked.

"Gruel... is unknown ground up, rotting meat, water, blood, and bits of hair. It is all we have to eat down here," he said blankly. Reaper wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew... how could you eat that stuff?" she hissed. Suddenly, there was a crack in the top of the pit, where the 'door' was being opened.

"You wanna see gruel?" the red kit questioned. "Well, now's your chance."

At that moment, a Thayne began pouring in some disgusting brown and red slop into the dark pit, and Reaper leaped back as some almost splashed her paws. The door was then sealed again.

"Disgusting... what in The Great Celestial's name is this?!" she hissed, gagging on the disgusting smell of the unknown meat. To her surprise, five more kits began slinking towards the disgusting food. Soon, all six crouched down and began taking small bites out of the gross crow-food.

"I am not eating that..." Reaper hissed, and Dawn nodded in agreement.

"You guys are disgusting..." she spat. "How could you eat that stuff?"

The other kits stared blankly at her.

"We eat it, because we don't want to die," a black she-cat growled. Reaper took a few steps back, curling up under her rock.

Two more days passed, and Reaper was beginning to get really hungry, and Dawn was as well.

"When will they feed us good food?" Dawn wailed. "I'm hungry!"

Reaper sighed and unsheathed her claws.

"It looks like the answer to that is never," she hissed. "We're either going to have to eat that disgusting crap, or rot in here for the others to eat our dead corpses."

"Ew! I'd rather eat another kit than eat that nasty stuff!" Dawn spat. Reaper nodded in agreement.

"If that is what's necessary... then we just might have to cannibal," she meowed grimly.

The two kits remained in their one spot as day after day they watched as the other kits ate the disgusting gruel fed to them. One kit, a yellowish tom, died on the fifth day of Reaper and Dawn's arrival.

"Should we... eat him?" asked Reaper's starving sister. Reaper stared at her sister, eyes bloodshot.

"You want to survive, don't you?" she snarled. "Yes. Yes! If that's what it takes, we'll eat every darn kit in this death-hole!"

Dawn shrunk away from her sister, crawling slowly towards the dead kit. Reaper followed suit, growling. She then sank her fans into the kit's already rotting flesh, not even caring about the nasty taste. The kit had barely any meat on his bones, and his meat barely sustained the two kits.

More days passed. They became even more hungry by the day, until finally, Reaper snapped. When the Thayne dropped in the gruel, she for the first time joined the other kits. However, one kit, a black she-kit, stopped her.

"Back off!" she snarled. "This food belongs to us! There is barely enough for us, much less two extra mouths to feed!"

Her eyes were crazed, Reaper realized. The time in this hole had driven this kit to insanity. The kit suddenly lunged at Reaper, slashing at her face with her bloodstained claws.

"Die!" she spat. "Die and become food for us!"

Reaper countered her attacks, kicking her away and leaping on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Reaper spat. "Keep a hold of your senses!"

The other kit hissed and kicked Reaper away, eyes lit up in some sort of satanic pleasure.

"I am perfectly sane, outsider..." she hissed, a smirk on her face. "I'm not crazy, no! No... I'm not crazy at all!"

She then lunged at Reaper again, and Reaper, with a lucky swipe of her claws, slashed the kit's neck, drawing blood. The kit fell to the ground, eyes slowly beginning to dim. Out of the corner of her eye, Reaper saw the red kit staring blankly at her, and soon, all four of the other kits joined him, and they all moved toward the dead kit's corpse, crouching down to eat it. Reaper and Dawn joined them, before moving on to the gruel when the kit's flesh was gone.

"That kit was called Spider," the red kit said blankly. "She was pretty much the leader of our little group."

Reaper perked her ears at this. She knew the name Spider... from somewhere.

"Spider used to be so carefree and happy. But ever since we've been starved, she slowly went insane. And we, too, are becoming insane as well," the brown kit croaked.

* * *

One moon passed. The kits continued to live in those cruel conditions, and two more kits passed into death. Two kits called Venom and Slash. Life was hard and cruel.

"I want to get out of here..." Dawn mewed pitifully. The small kit had began getting skinnier and skinnier, as she barely got any food.

"We all want out of here," Reaper hissed. "Now shut up."

The red kit, called by his comrades as Fox, stood beside Reaper.

"None of us wants to be here," he growled grimly. "But we're stuck here anyway."

The remaining kits nodded in agreement. Reaper flattened her ears against her head, turning and stalking away, eyes narrowed. Just at that moment, however, she heard a squeak behind her. Turning around, she caught sight of a small black kit. _Well this one's new... _she thought to herself. She stared intently at the new kit, who slowly backed away. Reaper then caught sight of some other kits she had never seen before. Another black tom with red paws, an orange she-kit, and a gray tom. All of which were staring intently at her, and the new kit. Reaper's ears flattened once more and she turned her gaze to the little black scrap of fur.

"Who are you?" she mewed, eyes narrowed. "I haven't seen you around here before... I don't even remember seeing you back in the nursery."

The other kit stood, tail held high above her back, and met Reaper's eyes calmly.

"The name is Darkkit," she meowed in reply. "And you are?"

Reaper twitched her whiskers and snorted. This kit had the -kit suffix... obviously some kidnapped Clan kit.

"Hmph. Clan kit are you?" Reaper hissed, examining the newbie. "What exactly is a Clan kit doing here in the Black Pit?"

The kit flicked her small fluffy tail.

"I was kitnapped," was her even reply. Reaper's eyes narrowed.

"Most kits whose camps have been invaded by The Slenderthayne don't live to tell the tale," she hissed. "Why... tell me... why were you spared?"

Darkkit's eyes narrowed.

"Because I'm strong," she hissed. Reaper's whiskers twitched.

"Uh huh... a tiny pipsqueak like you is strong... I'll believe it when I see it." At that, Reaper turned and stalked away. Darkkit stood up straighter and trotted after Reaper.

"Fine. I'll prove it to you then!" she said stubbornly. "I'll prove I'm strong!"

Reaper turned to the kit with an unfriendly glare.

"Hmph... yeah right," she huffed, turning and stalking in the opposite direction. Darkkit persisted, following Reaper with her tail held high. Reaper let out an annoyed hiss, before kicking the other kit away with her hind leg.

"Go away."

Darkkit picked herself up, standing erect.

"I'm not a wimp, who just runs away," she mewed. "I'll fight if I have to!"

Reaper flicked her ear, still annoyed.

"When did I say anything about fighting?" she spat. "A little pipsqueak like you would be squished like a bug."

"No I wouldn't!" was Darkkit's indignant reply. "I'll prove it to you! Fight me!"

"I'm not wasting my time with you."

Suddenly, Reaper felt something slam into her side, as sharp teeth sank deep into her flank. Hissing with annoyance, Reaper rolled over, batting at her attacker with her hind paws, claws unsheathed. Darkkit persisted, not giving in. Her tiny teeth clamped tighter onto Reaper's flank, and she was definitely stronger thahn the russet kit had expected.

"Get off!" Reaper hissed, her anger increasing. She then gave a massive kick, sending Darkkit flying into a rock.

"Ow..." Darkkit whined, slowly standing and shaking herself off. She then stared at Reaper, with a new glow in her eyes.

"You're a good fighter!" she mewed, tail flicking. "Can you teach me to fight like you?"

Reaper glared at the dark kit.

"I don't have time to be dealing with some pipsqueak," she meowed harshly. Darkkit's ears fell.

"But... you're so strong! Please...?" She mewed again, eyes widened.

Reaper knew this kit wouldn't give up until she agreed, so she finally gave in.

"Fine..." she growled. "I'll teach you. But stay out of my way, got it?"

Darkkit nodded vigorously.

"Of course! I'll do everything you say!" she mewed, bouncing with excitement. Reaper rolled her eyes and stalked away.

**Derp. Chapter one, done... yeeaaah... it's long. Hope ya liked, and please R&R!**


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